The U.S. State Department on Saturday said it has halted the issuance of all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza while it conducts what it called “a full and thorough” review of its screening procedures. The decision, announced on the department’s official social-media account, follows the approval in recent days of a limited number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas. The pause covers B-1/B-2 visitor visas, which allow foreigners to enter the United States for tourism, business or medical treatment. According to State Department data analysed by Reuters, the United States has issued more than 3,800 such visas to holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents so far this fiscal year, including about 640 in May, although officials did not disclose how many Gazans received visas this month. Conservative activist Laura Loomer posted videos that she said showed Gazan travellers arriving at Seattle and other U.S. airports, prompting criticism from Republican lawmakers including Representative Chip Roy of Texas and Florida state legislator Randy Fine, who warned of potential security risks. While the department did not cite the political pressure, it said the review will examine the procedures used to grant the recent medical-humanitarian permits. The suspension comes against the backdrop of the Gaza war that erupted after Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, which killed some 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, Gaza health authorities say. Washington has not announced a broader resettlement programme for those displaced by the conflict.